University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Earns Two Spots in Top Ten Moments in L.A. Sports For 2007
January 20, 2008 | Bruin Athletics
Jan. 20, 2008
The UCLA Bruins had two accomplishments that were named among the Top Ten sports moments of 2007 at the 3rd annual L.A. Sports Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Sports Council.
UCLA's reaching the men's basketball Final Four for the second consecutive year was ranked No. 3 while UCLA becoming the first school in history to win 100 NCAA team championships was ranked No. 7
The Anaheim Ducks' Stanley Cup triumph was named the top sports moment of 2007. In just its 14th year of existence, Anaheim won hockey's ultimate prize by defeating Ottawa four games to one in the finals, with the clincher coming in a 6-2 rout at the Honda Center.
The Ducks' achievement was honored at a star-studded awards presentation held tonight at The Beverly Hilton and televised live by FSN PRIME TICKET.
The L.A. Sports Awards were created by the Sports Council in 2005 to recognize each year's outstanding sports moments for the Los Angeles/Orange County area.
In other award presentations, David Beckham of the L.A. Galaxy was selected as 2007 "Sportsman of the Year" and track star Allyson Felix was named "Sportswoman of the Year." Brian Burke, general manager of the Ducks, was chosen "Sports Executive of the Year."
During the awards gala the overall Top 10 moments of 2007 were announced in ranked order. They are:
- Ducks Win Stanley Cup (June 6): Anaheim defeated Ottawa in five games to win its first Stanley Cup.
- Beckham-mania (July 13): The Galaxy introduced their newest midfielder, superstar David Beckham, to a raucous crowd at The Home Depot Center that included more than 750 media members.
- UCLA Returns to Final Four (March 24): The UCLA men's basketball team swept through the West Regional, defeating No. 1 seed Kansas to reach its second straight Final Four.
- Kobe Scores 50 in Four Straight (March 23): Kobe Bryant scored 50 points, his 4th consecutive game of 50+ points, in leading the Lakers to a win over New Orleans.
- Dodgers Hire Torre (November 1): The Dodgers signed Joe Torre, one of the winningest managers in baseball history, to a three-year deal to skipper the ballclub.
- Trojans Win Pac-10, Again (December 1): USC won its final four regular-season football games to earn an unprecedented sixth consecutive Pacific 10 championship as well as a sixth straight BCS bowl berth.
- UCLA First to 100 (May 13): UCLA's women's water polo team beat Stanford to capture its third straight NCAA title and the school's 100th, as UCLA made history by becoming the first University to win 100 team championships.
- Venus Wins Wimbledon (July 7): Venus Williams won the Ladies' Championship for a fourth time, defeating France's Marion Bartoli in the final at the All England Club. The L.A. area native's four Wimbledon singles titles are tops among all active players.
- Anderson's 10 RBI's Sets Angels Mark (August 21): Garret Anderson collected a club record 10 RBI's in a game against the Yankees, capping his performance with his eighth career grand slam, another club record.
- Felix Shines at World Championships (Sept. 2): Los Angeles native Allyson Felix starred at the IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, winning three gold medals.
Sportsman of the Year honoree Beckham raised the profile of American soccer to unprecedented heights as he and his Galaxy teammates sold out stadiums everywhere they played. Though injuries limited his on-field performance, Beckham's iconic stature -- rivaled perhaps only by Pele in the 1970s - brought worldwide attention to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Felix, a Los Angeles native, turned heads at the 2007 IAAF World Track and Field Championships in Osaka, Japan, winning three gold medals. Felix defended her title in the 200 meters and ran powerful relay legs to help the U.S. to victories in the 4x100 meter and 4x400 meter events, all three in world-leading times. Burke is the recipient of the prestigious Executive of the Year award for the second straight year (he shared the award in '06 with Dodgers G.M. Ned Colletti) for his outstanding work as architect of the Ducks Stanley Cup-winning team.
A blue-ribbon media panel chose the overall Top 10 moments and ranked them in order of importance. The panel also selected the Sportsman, Sportswoman, and Sports Executive of the Year. The panel was comprised of representatives from the local print and electronic media and was chaired by noted local sports historian Rich Perelman.
Eighteen other awards also were presented to each of the major local teams and universities - plus Golf, Horse Racing, Motor Sports, and Tennis - recognizing each's greatest moment of the year. Those winners were determined by on-line fan voting conducted by the L.A. Sports Council on its website, www.lasports.org. Balloting took place from Dec. 17 thru Jan. 10 and approximately 10,000 votes were cast. A complete list of those winners can be found on the Council's website.
For the purposes of these awards, the concept of a moment is loosely defined. It can be a specific instant in time (such as a winning goal, hit or shot), an individual or team milestone, an upset victory, a remarkable game, a special event, or a career achievement. Nominated moments must have taken place in the local area or have involved a local athlete or team.
The Greatest Moments event is a fundraiser for the non-profit Sports Council, which will utilize the proceeds to further its mission of promoting economic development through sports in Southern California. For further information, please visit the Sports Council website at www.lasports.org.
